Oak Tree High

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Oak Tree High Yorkshire Muslim Academy, Gate No 3 Bland Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S4 8DG

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7, 7(a), 7(b)  During the full standard inspection in November 2016, arrangements for safeguarding were judged to be ineffective. Policies were identified to be out of date and not following required government guidance. Staff were not sufficiently well trained and aware of appropriate procedures; therefore, pupils’ safety was not fully considered.  The action plan school leaders produced in June 2017 to address these issues was judged by the Department for Education to be not acceptable. A recent action plan proposes more staff training and continuing the use of external support to secure stronger safeguarding arrangements in the school.  This inspection confirms that although a detailed child protection policy has been produced, the school does not have clear procedures in place to protect children who may be at risk of radicalisation.  While many pupils have a strong awareness about how to keep themselves safe, a

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Main inspection findings

significant minority have a much less secure understanding. Several older pupils were not able to demonstrate that they had an understanding about radicalisation.  School staff have all had a significant amount of safeguarding training and they know what they must do in the event of having any concerns about pupils.  Two designated safeguarding leads are clear about their roles and responsibilities. A third member of staff is being trained to ensure that a lead person is always available. However, since they are part-time members of staff, leaders have not addressed how they will make sure that there is continuity in the follow-up to any concerns.  Record-keeping has improved since the last monitoring inspection in November 2017. However, records still lack clarity, detail and organisation. The follow-up to identified concerns is not fast enough.  The proprietor has not fully addressed all issues surrounding pupil welfare and,

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Main inspection findings

therefore, these standards remain unmet. Paragraph 15  Attendance registers were checked during this inspection. On several occasions, some had not been completed, particularly for afternoon sessions. In addition to being a legal requirement, the registration of pupils is an important part of the arrangements to ensure that pupils are safe.  This standard is therefore unmet. Paragraphs 16, 16(a), 16(b)  Inspectors in November 2016 identified that suitable risk assessments were not in place to safeguard pupils. At that time, risk assessments to identify actions needed when a member of staff starts working at the school, before the completion of required recruitment checks, were not made.  The action plan the school leaders produced in June 2017 to address these issues was judged to be not acceptable.  The school has improved its recruitment procedures and no longer allows anyone to work at the school until all the necessary checks have been made.

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Main inspection findings

 The monitoring inspection in November 2017 found that risk assessments, particularly in relation to the shared use of the building, had not been completed.  A risk assessment has been completed in collaboration with the Yorkshire Muslim Academy premises committee, in relation to the shared use of the building. Subsequently, a security system has been installed that significantly reduces the risks associated with the shared use.  However, other risk assessments, for example in relation to science, are incomplete or generic in nature. Therefore, these standards remain unmet.

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Main inspection findings

Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Paragraphs 18(2), 18(2)(c), 18(2)(c)(ii), 18(3), 21(3), 21(3)(a)(ii), 21(3)(a)(iii)  The inspection in November 2016 identified that the required recruitment checks and the recording of recruitment checks had not been carried out by school leaders. The monitoring visit in November 2017 found that the proprietor was now meeting these standards in line with government guidance.  This inspection found that these standards continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Paragraphs 23(1), 23(1)(a), 23(1)(b), 25  The monitoring inspection in November 2017 found that some of the toileting facilities that were being used by pupils were not for their sole use and therefore not suitable.  The proprietor has ensured that some reorganisation and refurbishment of toilets has taken place. Pupils now have facilities for their sole use.  Therefore, these standards are now met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 6. Provision of information Paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(d)  The inspection carried out in November 2016 identified that the school’s website did not make the last inspection report available to parents and carers.  The first monitoring inspection found that the school’s website had been changed to make the report available to meet these standards. However, since then, the school no longer has a website.  This inspection has confirmed that the school has commissioned a new website. In the interim, parents have confirmed that the school has made sure that information, including inspection reports and the child protection policy, is made available to them.  Therefore, the proprietor has ensured that these standards continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b), 34(1)(c)  In November 2016, inspectors identified that leaders and managers had failed to ensure that the independent school standards were consistently met and that pupils’ welfare and well-being were promoted.  The action plan that leaders and managers had written in June 2017 did not adequately address how the unmet standards would be met and in what timescales. Similarly, the most recent action plan has not identified the outstanding issues and, as a result, is not suitable.  The proprietor has acted to ensure that some of the standards not met in the last inspection and the last monitoring inspection have now been met. Staff training has improved significantly and the school works closely with the local authority and other schools to learn from good practice elsewhere. This means that the school has made

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Main inspection findings

progress in being able to act on any safeguarding concerns that arise.  However, the school does not have clear procedures in place to protect children who may be at risk of radicalisation. There is also inconsistency in pupils’ grasp of what they can do to keep themselves safe. In addition, the school is not following up safeguarding concerns in a timely way and with sufficient rigour. This means that, together with the inconsistent marking of attendance registers, the school is not consistently promoting the well-being of students. Thus, not all the independent school standards are met.  These standards have not been met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection, as set out in the annex of this report. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Type of school Independent Muslim girls school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Girls

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 15–17 November 2016

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Information about this school

 Oak Tree High is an independent Muslim school which accepts up to 100 girls between the ages of 11 and 16 years. There are currently 67 girls on roll, none who have an education, health and care plan.  The school was last inspected in November 2016 when its overall effectiveness was judged inadequate.  The proprietor is also the headteacher. The designated safeguarding lead and the deputy safeguarding lead took on these roles in September 2017.  The school is based in a large section of a building which is owned by the Yorkshire Muslim Academy. The building is used for a range of community activities in the evenings and for a nursery during the day.  The school is not in receipt of any additional funding and does not use or provide any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  This was the school’s second progress monitoring inspection since being judged inadequate in November 2016. The first progress monitoring inspection was in November 2017. This inspection was carried out by an Ofsted Inspector without notice.  The school produced an action plan to demonstrate how it would meet the unmet standards identified at the last inspection. The Department for Education confirmed in June 2017 that the action plan was not acceptable. An updated version of the plan was presented during the inspection.  The inspector toured the building both inside and outside to check that the independent

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Information about this inspection

school standards were met.  The inspector spoke informally with pupils and staff during the day. The inspector also spoke with some parents by telephone.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the designated safeguarding lead and the deputy safeguarding lead.  The inspector examined documentation related to safeguarding, and previously unmet independent school standards.

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Inspection team

Steve Rogers, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain unmet at this inspection

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that: – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b) such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State.  16 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that: – 16(a) the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and – 16(b) appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school: – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Standards that were met at the previous inspection, but are now judged to not be met at this inspection

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 15 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that an admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006.

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

 Part 5. Premises and accommodation at schools. The proprietor has now ensured that toileting facilities that pupils use are for their sole use and that, therefore, the welfare of pupils is ensured (paragraphs 23(1), 23(1)(a), 23(1)(b), 25). guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

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